Lay the deepest shadows
Where no light has fallen
For so many years
I visit with them
Let the shadows
Fall under my light
Until they become known to me
Appreciate them for their wisdom
Thank them for their insight
Forgive them for their fears and distractions
Illumined, I see their purpose
I sense the presence
Of something darker
Utter black
No light illumines
It lingers
Unperturbed
By my shadow hunting
And I feel the fear
Deeply
Again
Close my eyes
Breathe
Feel my body
Call the light
Sense beyond seeing
Insight beyond knowledge
I let the blackness breathe
Listen for the whispers on its breath
Stay alert for the tremble of its presence
Until I see
Into the cold dark center
Of the evil I have conquered
Bid it farewell
Thank it for its lessons
Forgive it for its transgressions
Banish it from my being
Be gone!
Release the blackness
Into the light
Where it dissipates
Into shadow
Into mist
Into oblivion
Into a nothingness
Beyond my being
I am left
With naught
But the light
The source of all things
The destiny of all things
The heart of all things
Which the blackness
Cannot
Touch
Chandni Chowk
Old Delhi
New Delhi, Inda
Taken during travels, 2017